As you may have noticed by now, I have a lot of opinions.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my opinions and start some interesting conversations. Conversations about how I see the world, how I’ve experienced life, and things I like (and also really don’t like).
So, I’ve decided to dedicate October to blogging about some things that I hope aren’t “things” anymore in 10 years. I’ve already shared my view that attitudes towards woman having gray hair need to keep evolving. Here are a few more that you can expect posts on this month.
1. Saying “female” before doctor or engineer – or any profession, really
Do you ever hear anyone say “male doctor” or “male engineer”? No, you don’t. Because it sounds dumb.
10 years from now, I want my niece to live in a world where people won’t refer to her gender as part of her chosen profession. Where she doesn’t have to be a “girl boss” – she can just be the boss. Where she can take for granted that the president is a woman because of course women can just be presidents, Aunt Brittany.
For all the progress that has been made, we still have a ways to go when it comes to qualifying women’s professions with their gender.
2. Stigmatizing mental health and neurodiversity
Let’s hope it doesn’t actually take another decade for us to take mental health as seriously as we do physical health.
We’ve made a lot of progress, but misunderstanding, stigma, and focusing on labels like “illness” and “disorder” still make it difficult for people to access the support they need. This can be especially true for women and girls, as society tends to be less kind to them when not meeting certain gender role expectations (e.g., communication, cooperation, taking care of others, multi-tasking, etc.).
October is ADHD awareness month. Since my recent ADHD diagnosis, I’ve been trying to educate myself more on what it means to be neurodiverse and for my brain to work the way it does. And speaking of stigma and gender differences, I’ve learned that while an estimated 7% of children have ADHD globally, boys are still three times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. The reasons why are complex, but often boil down to which symptoms are perceived as “typical” for ADHD and stereotypes around women being emotional/moody.
3. Belittling /intimidating women for lifting weights
Yes, this is a thing. Women continue to experience harassment and intimidation in fitness spaces. This seems particularly true when it comes to what is perceived as a male-only domain: the weight room/free weights area.
I think we’re finally getting past the myth that a woman who lifts weights is somehow going to look “too manly.” But there is still this perception that women shouldn’t or don’t need to lift weights. Even some women-only gyms seem to reinforce this message by only stocking very light weights.
Making women feel somehow “less than” in gym weight rooms needs to be a thing of the past. The reality is that the combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening is extremely beneficial to building bone strength, lowering the risk of many health conditions, and mental health. Lifting weights is also a huge confidence boost – it’s something that’s helped me a lot in healing from my eating disorder.
Into the future
Obviously, I can think of way more things that should be absurd in 10 years than just these three. But let’s start here.
What are things you think should be absurd 10 years from now (or sooner)?
